1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a ball bat and, more particularly, to a ball bat having an inflatable grip.
2. Description of Related Art
Ball bats, such as are used in the games of baseball and softball, were originally constructed from a single piece of wood. Early wood bats were made from hickory, which is very strong and dense. Even though the barrels of early wood bats were narrow by modern day standards, such bats were heavy. Most modern wood bats are made from northern white ash, which is strong but not as dense as hickory. Recently, some Major League Baseball players have begun using wood bats made from rock or sugar maple. But, despite advancements in wood ball bat technology over the years, the use of wood ball bats in the games of baseball and softball has sharply declined since the 1970""s, when manufacturers began selling aluminum ball bats. At the present time, wood ball bats are generally only used in professional baseball leagues that have rules requiring their use. Metal ball bats are used in most other leagues.
Beginning in the 1970""s, most metal ball bats were made from aluminum, which is relatively light, durable and inexpensive. However, the most technologically advanced ball bats are now manufactured from special alloys and/or other materials such as carbon fiber and graphite that are extremely strong and light. Most of the advancements in bat technology in recent years have focused on the barrel portion of the bat, which is the part of the bat that is specifically designed to make contact with the pitched ball.
When a batter strikes a ball with a bat, shock and vibration travels from the portion of the bat that makes contact with the ball to the handle or gripping portion of the bat. This is true whether the bat is constructed of wood, metal and/or other materials. The shock and vibration is transmitted from the handle or grip to the hands of the batter, which can be painful, particularly during could weather. Batters often wear batting gloves to protect their hands from shock and vibration, and to help them obtain a good grip on the bat. While batting gloves and internal vibration dampening structures installed within the interior cavity of a ball bat can be somewhat effective in reducing the amount of vibration and shock transmitted to a batter""s hands, there remains substantial room for improvement.
The present invention provides a ball bat having a knob, a handle portion extending from the knob, a barrel portion extending from the handle portion, and an inflatable grip disposed on the handle portion. The inflatable grip comprises an inflatable tubular sleeve through which the handle portion extends, an inflator in fluid communication with the inflatable tubular sleeve for pumping air into the inflatable tubular sleeve, and a release valve in fluid communication with the inflatable tubular sleeve for releasing air from the inflatable tubular sleeve. The ball bat according to the invention allows a batter to selectively pressurize the inflatable tubular sleeve to adjust the rigidity and size of the grip, which improves batter comfort and reduces the amount of shock and vibration transferred from the ball bat to the batter""s hands.
The foregoing and other features of the invention are hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the present invention may be employed.